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Toolchest | Summary of Field Guides
Here is in
brief a roundup of all the field guides on this webpage.
Using these resources you should be able to identify just
about anything in central Ontario. If that doesn't work there
is the Internet, libraries, and researchers to look up.
5* Outstanding. Innovative
features, easy
to use, aesthetically pleasing
4* Must have field guide. Some minor problems.
3* Good guide, often a supplement work. Some
significant problems, but still
quite usable. May have scientific jargon, coverage may not be done to
species or genera level, may have too many species to wade through, etc.
2* Usable but with significant problems. Guides that
are just a key with no illustrations rate here.
1* Not recommended unless it is the only resource available.
Ratings are a basic measure of usefulness, ease of use,
coverage (species level preferred) and aesthetics. Some of
the
guides have been used in the field although most of the guides have
been merely seen or judged based on internet reviews.
Sci: A scientific angle that makes a resource different for an
amateur naturalist to use. Often filled with scientific
jargon or contains lots of information of little interest to
naturalists. Scientific names used primary.
Sup: A supplement work. Used when you need a second opinion
or need additional information to identify an organism.
Ref: Reference. A thick book not meant to be taken into the
field.
Non: Not a standard field guide.
Com: Computer based resource
Books in bold are key books to be used in the field.
Birds
- General:
Beginner or more (5*)
Peterson's Field
Guide to the Birds of Eastern
and
Central North America
- General:
Intermediate or more (5*)
Sibley Field Guide
to Birds of Eastern North America
- General (4 1/2*)
National Geographic
Field
Guide to the Birds of North America, 5th Edition
- General (4*)
Kaufman Field Guide to the Birds of North America
- General (4*)
Stokes Field Guide
to
Birds: Eastern Region
- General (4*)
All the Birds of
North
America
- General (4* Ref)
Smithsonian
Handbooks: Birds of
North
America -- Eastern Region
- General (4* Com)
Thayer's Birds
of Canada
- Local
(4*) Lone Pine's Birds of Ontario
- Local (3 1/2*) Lone Pine's Compact Guide to
Ontario Birds
- Local (4*) Lone
Pine's Ontario Birds
- Local (4*) Lorimer Pocketguide to Ontario
Birds
- Local
Checklist
(4*)
Seasonal
Checklist of the Birds of North Bay and Area
- ID Challenges (4*) Identify
Yourself: The 50 Most Common Birding Identification Challenges
- ID Challenges (4*) Pete
Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion
- ID Challenges (3*) Peterson's A Field Guide to
Advanced
Birding: Birding Challenges and How to Approach Them
- Signs
(3*)
Bird
Tracks and Signs
- Phishing (3* Non) The
Art of
Phishing: How to Attract Birds by Mimicking Their Calls
- Scat
on windows (3*)
What Bird Did That?: A Driver's
Guide to Some Common Birds of North America
- Habitat
(3* NON) The Habitat Guide to Birding
- Behavior
(3*) Stokes
Guide to Bird Behavior,
Volume 1 to 3
- Nests
(4*)
Peterson's
Field Guides: Eastern Birds' Nest
- Nests
(3* Sup) A
Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and
Nestlings of North American Birds
- Atlas
(4* Ref) Atlas
of the
Breeding
Birds of Ontario, 2001-2005
- Techniques
(4* Non) Sibley's
Birding Basics
- Life
History (4* Non)
The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and
Behavior
- Computer:
complete,
but expensive (5*) National
Geographic
Handheld
Birds
- Computer:
bird
song on iPod (5*) birdJam
Bugs
- Bugs: Local
() Bugs
of
Ontario
- Bugs: Local
() Insects
of
Algonquin Provincial Park
- Bugs: Local () Insects -- Their Natural History
and Diversity
- Bugs: Local () Insects of the Great Lakes
Region
- Bugs: General ()
Peterson's
A
Field Guide to Insects
- Bugs:
General () Kaufman
Field Guide to
Insects of North America
- Bugs: General
() National
Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and
Spiders & Related Species of North America
- Bugs: General (Ref) Borror and DeLong's
Introduction to the Study of Insects
- Bugs: Behavior () Stokes' Guide To
Observing Insect Lives
- Bug Spats () That
Gunk on
Your Car: A Unique Guide to Insects of North America
- Bugs: Household () A
Field Guide to
Household Bugs
- Bugs: Aquatic ()
Guide to Aquatic
Insects And
Crustaceans
- Bugs: Garden ()
Garden Insects of
North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs
- Bugs: Portal () BugGuide.Net
- Butterflies ()
Butterflies
of the North
Woods, 2nd Edition
- Butterflies () Butterflies of Algonquin
Provincial Park
- Butterflies () Stokes'
Beginner's Guide to Butterflies
- Butterflies () Point
Pelee National Park
Nature Series - Butterflies of Point Pelee
- Butterflies () Butterflies through
Binoculars:
The East
- Butterflies () How
to Spot Butterflies
- Butterflies () Butterflies of the Great Lakes
Region
- Butterflies () Common
Butterflies and
Skippers of Eastern North America
- Butterflies () Kaufman's Field Guide to
Butterflies of North America
- Butterflies () Peterson Field
Guides: Eastern Butterflies
- Butterflies () The Butterflies of North
America
- Butterflies () (James Scott's) Butterflies of North
America
- Caterpillars
()
Caterpillars
in the Field and Garden: A Field Guide to the Butterfly Caterpillars of
North America
- Caterpillars () Caterpillars
of Eastern
North America
- Caterpillars () Photo
Field Guide to Some
Caterpillars of Southern Ontario
- Caterpillars () A Field Guide to
Caterpillars (Butterflies Through Binoculars Series)
- Caterpillars () Caterpillars
of Eastern Forests
- Caterpillars () Butterfly
and Moth Caterpillars: Identification Guide
- Moths
() Peterson's
A
Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America
- Moths
() Le Guide des
Papillons du
Québec
- Moths () Checklist
of Moths of the Pembroke Area Field Naturalists
- Moths () Moths
of the Ottawa Area
- Moths () Moth
Photographers Group
- Moths () Moths
of Canada
- Moths () The Moth
Book: A
Guide to the Moths of North America
- Moths () The Cutworm Moths of Ontario & Quebec
- Moths () Sedge Moths
of North
America
- Moths () The Wild Silk Moths of North America
- Moths
(Caterpillars)
Caterpillars
of Eastern
North America
- Dragonflies
() Dragonflies
of the North
Woods
- Dragonflies () Stokes'
Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies
- Dragonflies () The
Dragonflies and
Damselflies of Algonquin Provincial Park
- Dragonflies () Dragonflies
through Binoculars
- Damselflies () Damselflies of Alberta: Flying Neon
Toothpicks in the
Grass
- Dragonflies () Common Dragonflies and
Damselflies of Eastern North America
- Dragonflies () Odonata
Larvae of
Michigan
- Damselflies
() Damselflies
of the Northeast
- Damselflies
() Damselflies
of the North
Woods
- Spiders () Spiders
of the North Woods
- Beetles
() Peterson's
A
Field Guide to the Beetles
- Homoptera
() Field
Guide To
Grasshoppers,
Katydids, And
Crickets Of The United Sates
Animals
- Mammals: Tracks () Mammal
Track and Signs
- Mammals: Tracks ()
Animal
Tracks of Ontario
- Mammals
() Mammals
of
North
America, a Kaufman Focus Guide
- Mammals ()
Mammals
of Ontario
- Herpetofauna ()
Amphibians
and Reptiles of the North Woods
- Fishes () Peterson
Field Guides: Freshwater
Fishes
- Fishes () Fishes
of the
Great Lakes Region, Revised Edition
Plants
- Trees () Trees
In
Canada
- Shrubs () Shrubs
of
Ontario
- Wildflowers () Newcomb's
Wildflower Guide
- Wildflowers () Peterson's
A
Field Guide to Wildflowers
- Wildflowers
(Simple) Ontario
Wildflowers: 101 Wayside Flowers
- Wildflowers
(Hard to ID
Groups) The
Asters, Goldenrods, and
Fleabanes of Grey and Bruce Counties
- Ferns () The
Ferns of Grey & Bruce Counties
- Ferns
() Peterson
Field Guide to Ferns,
Second
edition
- Grasses
() Grasses: An
Identification Guide
- Grasses
()
How to Identify
Grasses
and Grass-like Plants
- Mosses () A
Graphic
Guide
to Ontario Mosses
- Mosses () Field
Guide to the Peat Mosses of Boreal North America
- Liverworts () An
Enthusiasts
Guide to the
Liverworts and
Hornworts of Ontario
Other Life
- Mushrooms () Mushrooms
of
Ontario and
Eastern Canada
- Mushrooms
() Mushrooms of
Northeastern North America
- Lichens () Lichens
of the
North
Woods
- Invertebrates () Common
Freshwater Invertebrates of North America
- Mollusks () The
Freshwater Mollusks of Canada
- Mussels () Photo
Field
Guide to the Freshwater Mussels of Ontario
- Earthworms () Earthworms
of the Great Lakes
- Bacteria () A
Field
Guide to Bacteria
- Bacteria () Guide
to Microlife
Sky and Earth
- Binocular
Astronomy () Binocular
Astronomy
- Binocular
Astronomy ()
Touring the Universe Through Binoculars
- Astronomical
Events () What's Out
Tonight
: 50 Year Astronomy Field Guide 2000 to 2050
- Weather ()
The Weather
Identification Handbook
- Weather () National
Audubon Society Field Guide to North
American Weather
- Snowflakes () Ken
Libbrecht's Field
Guide to Snowflakes
- Atmospheric
Optics () Atmospheric
Optics
- Atmospheric
Optics ()
Rainbows, Haloes, and Glories
- Ice Halos () Atmospheric
Halos
- Natural
Radio () Aurora
Chorus
- Geology () Firefly
Guide
to Minerals, Rocks
and Fossils
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